NBA | Mexican basketball sensation López is keeping NBA teams on alert

Karim Lopez had his first contact with the NBA recently in a friendly game between him and him New Zealand breakers team and the Utah Jazz. The game, played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City in front of over 14,000 fans, ended with the Jazz winning 116-87 against the Australian National Basketball League team. But despite the setback, teenager Karim López shone on the big stage that evening.

The player from Sonora in Mexico is the son of “Chino” López, a former international player. The 17-year-old dropped 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in the Utah game. He started the game on the bench, but ended up being the substitute who had the most playing time, being on the pitch for 25 minutes. He did a good job of identifying jazz stars, Walker Kesslerin the first period and further Together with Jonah Bolden, he was the Breakers’ second highest scorer that evening.

At the end of the game the former Joventut de Badalona (Spain) The player stated that he was satisfied with his performance, but also left room for self-criticism. “I showed that I can keep up with these players. I have to keep working. There’s still a long way to go, but I’ll keep working. I will be fine,” he said in his statements NBL Media.

The 17-year-old López decided to continue his career outside of European basketball and moved to Australian basketball NBL prospect development program that has produced up to 13 NBA players since 1999. The outlook suggests he will be a strong pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. In addition, in August he signed a contract with the Excel Basketball agency, which counts the likes of Caitlin Clark and Nikola Jokic in its portfolio.

Sixers and OKC

The Breakers then faced the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma Thunder In two other preseason games, the NBA team won on both counts, with Lopez being rested in both contests.

The Breakers have gotten off to a solid start in the domestic league NBL25 Season won both opening games.